Sustainable Landscapes —
Notes from Chanticleer:
Using Vegetables as iLandscape Ornamental Plantings P
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by Heather Prince
Chanticleer, a pleasure garden, is
one of the country’s premier public gardens. Located in Wayne, Pennsylvania, it is the 50-acre former home of the Rosengarten family, of which 35 acres are devoted to beautiful garden spaces. According to Chanticleer, it is “a garden of pleasure and learning, relaxing yet filled with ideas to take home.” Widely considered to be one of the most romantic and innovative gardens in the United States, it frequently sets the trends for landscape design. We were forrtunate to have Executive Director and Head Gardener, Bill Thomas as one of the speakers at the 2022 iLandscape. Thomas has been involved with Chanticleer for the past 19 years. We had a wonderful conversation about gardens and landscapes and have developed a three-part series around a few of the design ideas employed by Chanticleer that are at the forefront of landscaping today.
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Leaning into vegetables
Vegetable gardens have perhaps always been a priority for gardeners — a space to grow your own food and feed yourself and your family. They come in many shapes and forms from a pot of herbs on a balcony to a small communal plot to a massive Victory-style garden and everything in between. In many cases, vegetables and herbs are a gateway to falling in love with gardens and gardening. With the massive uncertainties of these pandemic years, more people than ever have turned to growing a bit of food and found a passion for plants. One trend that has bubbled to the surface is incorporating edible plants into ornamental landscapes instead of fencing them off in their own little corner. Although Chanticleer has incorporated edible plants into their designs for nearly 20 years, “We expanded it during the pandemic,” reported Thomas. “During 2020, we made almost
The Landscape Contractor June 2022
